Doomed DOMA?

Perspective

The citizens of California stoked national debates when they passed Proposition
8 back in 2008, defending marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
The U.S. Supreme Court has now heard oral arguments attacking this law’s constitutionality.
They also heard a second, similar case on the nation’s Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA). No matter how they rule, the issue reflects a deepening fracture in
the bedrock of society.

Since the Supreme Court is not supposed to make law but to interpret it, the
justices had the option simply to let the California law stand and leave it
up to each state to decide the issue of the definition of marriage. Or the Court
could determine that the U.S. Constitution requires all states, including the
29 that currently prohibit homosexual unions, to allow gay and lesbian couples
the opportunity to “marry”—in essence redefining marriage. No matter what their
ruling, these debates at the highest level of government show the world how
far the United States has moved from its Christian roots.

The main argument for striking down the 17-year-old Defense of Marriage Act
is that the U.S. Constitution grants each state the right to decide for itself.
In that case, federal benefits would then extend to same-sex couples in states
that recognize homosexual unions as “marriage.” This result highlights the challenge
of relying on governments to promote righteousness, especially when local, state,
and federal governments have conflicting views, or each branch clashes with
the others.

The Court’s deliberations come on the heels of the British House of Commons’
vote to legalize homosexual “marriage” throughout the UK. That bill must move
through other parliamentary steps, including a vote in the House of Lords, before
it can become law.

With these deliberations, two of the greatest Christianized nations in history
have opened Pandora’s box. What if a man wants to marry more than one woman
or a consenting minor or even an animal? Where does it stop? And whose opinion
counts in such matters, anyway? Once society abandons God’s absolute definition
of marriage, anything goes.

If marriage is officially redefined, it could hurt religious freedom for all.
Churches, religious organizations, and perhaps Christian-owned businesses fear
they may face punitive action by the government if they do not support whatever
some rogue branch of the government defines as marriage.

Answers Magazine

July – September 2013

To say that the human brain is more amazing than a computer misses the point. We now know that it’s nothing like a computer— and far more powerful! In this issue of Answers you’ll learn why a computer will never match the human brain. Also, discover why the big bang is a theory in crisis, what the Bible says about women in combat, and much more!